The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-06-01

shipped in Japan.
The temple of Dai-Doutsou 1.-THE
Great Buddha) seems temple built for
fun-an enormous joke to amuse the
faithful.
This Great Buddha" has only a
head and shoulders, at least ninety
five feet high; he seems to be rising
from the depths of the earth, with his
neck stretching up like some one max
ing painful effort to struggle out OF
the ground. He alone fills all his tenn
pie and his curling hair touches the
roof
One reaches him, just as all the gods
are reached, by series OF stairways,
porticos and courts. From the gate
of the sanctuary one can not very well
explain to oneself at the first glance
what is that hillock of gold, that shape
less mass in front (the shoulders OF
Buddha). 1t is only afterward, when
you look up very high, that you see
far above you the colossal gilded face.
the hugh fixed eyes gazing down upon
you from the height of ninety feet with
idiotic placidity.
/ find myself making this pilgrimage
at the same time as q good-natured
Nippon family of country people, who
have come to the holy city for the first
time; and the good folks, especially
the ladies, can not get over the idea OF
seeing so big a god; and there are
cries of "Ahr' and "Ohr'-exclaima-
tons of surprise--little screams and
little laughs. No, really! this Buddha
is just too funny, with his stork-neck
and his stupid air-funny as any OF
those snow men which urchins make
at the corners Of the streets-funny as
some enormous caricature made to or
der by little children. And there the
little country family are all laughing
right under the gods nose-langhing
till the tears roll down their cheeks,
and the other visitors, and even the
guardian BONES themselves also
laugh to see them laugh. Then they
look at me to see how / feel about it,
and l have to laugh, too-can'l
possibly help 1t. What country this
Japan. where every thing is oddly
and contrast! Who could ever imagine
that this frivolous little temple, witt
its eternal laugh, could have lived
through centuries locked up in such
fcrocious mystery, and have gwen birth
TO those thousands Of other temples,
with their monsters and their hobgob-
Inns.
BY the payment of two cents one is
privileged to make the round Of the
great Buddha-one ascends by a series
of sloping plank galleries, placed at a
very steep angle, on which you can
pass behind the head of the colossus, a
little above the nape of the neck. ]
advance upon it, still accompanied by
the voyaging family; the sloping way is
slippery, old. broken through here and
there, worm-eaten-the ladies very
nearly fall. I put out my hand to help
them, and then we become good friends
right away. Behind the enormous
head, in dark nook, an old bonze is
squatting down-for one cent he shows
us suit of armor and war mask
which once belonged to the great
Tolko-Sama-and then he throws open
for our benefit sundry very ancient ido1
closets in which animal beaded divini.
ties are conserved and various relics
of weird aspect. There we do MOI
laugh any more.
In the court of this temple is the
most monstrous of all the bells of Kiott
at least seven or perhaps eight yards
around. 1t is rung by means of ar
enormous beam tipped with iron-s
sort of battering-ram suspended hori
zontally with ropes.
For two cents extra one has the righ
TO experiment with it. / harness my
self to the pulling straps, a circle i:
formed around me, and children rur
up. Even two or three young girls
come behind me to take hold. bother
ing me a good deal, pulling the wrone
way half the time, bursting into fits o
laughter. The united strength of thu
three is almost equal to the power O
three good kittens.
Meanwhile the battering-ram begins
to yield; gradually it begins to swing
BoOm-boom! A sound awful. cavern.
Gus and prolonged into mighty or
chestral vibrations which must be
heard through the whole of the sacred
city.
Then the audience is so happy!-de
lirious with joy-can't get enough o.
it; every one laughs, every one is il
ecstasy. N. o. Times Democrat
Translation from Tie French.